We are at that time of the year where the term “divorce day” is being used in the media rather a lot. There have always been recognised peaks and troughs in enquiries about divorce. The peaks tend to follow holiday periods such as the start of September (following the summer holidays), after Easter and, most notably, after the Christmas break.
Christmas tends to really exacerbate relationship problems. Financial worries, close extended proximity inside with partners and family, plus excess alcohol can really ratchet up the negative pressures within a relationship. The relentless barrage of images of perfect families and jovial people on TV can also serve as a reminder of what the festive period is apparently supposed to be about.
The rather gloomy January period that follows Christmas and the arrival of the first credit card bills in January can often act as a catalyst for action from one partner, or another, within a relationship.
Is there a Divorce Day as such?
So, is there a divorce day as such? Well, there tends to be a flurry of divorce enquiries on the first couple of working days after Christmas. What we have noticed though at rhw, is that the number of enquiries to our family team tends to climb steadily as January goes on, peaking around about February pay day.
Why is that? Well, many people tend to be a little stretched financially in January and so are not so willing to reach out to make an initial move to terminate their relationship. They are also mulling over what happened at Christmas and if it really was a watershed moment for their marriage. February arrives, the days are getting lighter, you have been paid and particularly if a relationship is still problematic, there is a realisation then something is going to have to change.
So, there isn’t really a divorce day as such. There are periods where more divorce enquires are made, so perhaps we should recognise the three main divorce seasons of the year instead?
Forthcoming changes to Divorce Law
This year we are awaiting some radical changes to the law relating to divorce. The main emphasis of the change is to move away from a blame culture in the divorce process where one side of the relationship has to take responsibility for the failure of the marriage. Here at rhw we are already seeing enquires from individuals and couples who are looking to take advantage of those changes that are due to be introduced in early April.
However, it is worth remembering that the removal of the blame factor in divorce does not resolve the challenges over agreeing financial matters and issues relating to children within a relationship. The average age of divorcing couples is also increasing, with an average age of 47.7 years for men and 45.3 years for women. Why is that important? Well, older people tend to have more assets and financial interests, particularly here in the South and South East of England. Therefore, divorces can often be more complex and can often even be described as “high net worth”.
rhw’s family law team specialise in High Net Worth divorces as well as divorce situations that may have different complexities involved. No two relationships are ever the same and so each divorce matter is approached on a bespoke basis by rhw’s family law team.
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